So guys , what do you think is better ,
the ABCDE thing
where you go from +1500 to -1000 or so…
or <I don’t know any diets that go like that but articles here mention it>
Basically adding or reducing calories by the 100s weekly to shift from bulking to cutting “clean”
what is better for a long period(half a year on for fat loss or more for bulking)
what’s better for the short cycles (changing every once a while to keep your body guessing)
why?
I understand this might be genetic , as some people could diet and overeat with an extreme contrast in calories and not loose a lot of muscle or gain a lot of fat in between
and some do…
Me id prefer to go on a long bulk/gaining cycle and not let things get out of hand to any insane amount a few years. then with just smart diet choices. like t-dawg 2 drop the fat lbs if needed in a few months preserving as much of my hard work as i can
Phill
It sounds like you’re talking about a couple of different ideas, unless I’m mistaken.
In general, you’d want to eat for what your body is using. Meaning, your caloric intake is probably a bit higher on your workout days than your non-workout days. The excess calories on workout days would account for your energy expense for working out and subsequent PWO meal to replenish your muscle glycogen stores.
For the long run, you’d want to go through phases of eating slightly above or below your caloric needs (depending on your goals). If you want to bulk, then bulk for a good duration, since it takes a bit longer to build lean muscle mass. If you want to cut, you can do it fairly rapidly.
When you get to your target goal and are ready to change directions (bulk to cut or cut to bulk), you should maintain the weight for a little while (say 4 weeks) for your body to adjust to your new weight and body composition, before changing your weight in the other direction. What this does is help your body maintain your newly gained muscles if you had just bulked, or keep the fat off if you had just cut.
With this understanding, the time interval for bulking and cutting probably shouldn’t be counted in days or a few weeks, but in months.